MMO Updates |
- Wakfu releases Monk Island, new teaser
- KingsIsle releases more Wizard101 expansion details
- Dark Age of Camelot retunes Relic system
- Guild Wars 2 is now available for pre-purchase, still no launch date
- The Daily Grind: Should internet trolls be policed?
- Michael Hogan and Claudia Black head TERA's voice-acting cast
- Wizard101 prepares to send players to Avalon
- Not So Massively: Meet Diablo III's demon hunter
- APB: Reloaded dev blog introduces patch 1.7's new breed of contacts
- Woman on dating gameshow plays WoW, host is amazed
- Wings Over Atreia: Clean up on aisle four
- PAX East 2012: Hands-on with Perfect World's Raiderz
- Guild Wars 2 adds Best Buy to CE pre-purchase retailer list, releases new video [Updated]
- The Secret World's PAX recap video talks PvP, progression
- Weekend warrior: Two days with TERA's beta berserker
- Captain's Log: Interview with Cryptic's Al Rivera, part three
- Leaderboard: Hotbar combat vs. action combat
| Wakfu releases Monk Island, new teaser Posted: 10 Apr 2012 10:00 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Trailers, Video, Game mechanics, MMO industry, Patches, News items, Free-to-play, Sandbox, Dungeons  If you're not familiar with Wakfu, it's a fantasy sandbox title that makes up the MMORPG portion of a global cross-media IP. It's based in the same universe as Ankama's Dofus MMO, and it features many of the same classes and professions. Ankama has released a brief Monk Island teaser trailer which shows the Messaround Monastery as well as a bit of combat action. You'll find it after the cut. Continue reading Wakfu releases Monk Island, new teaser
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| KingsIsle releases more Wizard101 expansion details Posted: 10 Apr 2012 09:00 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Galleries, Screenshots, Expansions, Game mechanics, MMO industry, Patches, News items, Free-to-play, Wizard101  As you might expect, Avalon is filled with knights, castles, goblins, dragons, and other assorted medieval tropes. The expansion also "plays heavily on the Arthurian and Celtic mythologies," according to KingsIsle. Additionally, Avalon will allow players to uncover the motivations of Wizard101's main characters (including Merle Ambrose and Morganthe). The expansion boasts six new zones, 15 new areas, a level cap increase (80), 28 new spells, new gear, pets, and mounts, and the ability to achieve rank 15 in gardening. [Source: KingsIsle press release]
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| Dark Age of Camelot retunes Relic system Posted: 10 Apr 2012 08:00 AM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Dark Age of Camelot, Previews, PvP, Dev Diaries  "We have learned over the years that being complex and being complicated are two very different things," Producer Stuart Zissu writes. "If players can't immediately grasp the situation and understand what is needed of them, then there is room for improvement." In a new producer's letter, Zissu spells out the changes to the Relic system. Relics Temples and Mile Gates will be eliminated, and Relics themselves will be moved to the inner keeps. These new Relic Keeps will be granted additional guards the more keeps a realm holds in their home territory. However, the more relics a faction claims, the weaker the guards will be. Relic runs will be made more challenging, as the game will notify everyone in the region where the Relic holder is and faster avenues of transportation will be cut off.
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| Guild Wars 2 is now available for pre-purchase, still no launch date Posted: 10 Apr 2012 07:00 AM PDT Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Guild Wars 2  As of the time of this writing, many tipsters have reported that GW2 collector's editions have been sold out at several retailers. ArenaNet said it will have an update in a few hours on Twitter. By pre-purchasing Guild Wars 2, players not only get the game itself and any goodies that edition contains, but also will secure access into beta weekend events and the game's three-day headstart prior to launch. The standard edition is $59.99, the deluxe digital edition is $79.99, and the collector's edition is $149.99.
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| The Daily Grind: Should internet trolls be policed? Posted: 10 Apr 2012 06:00 AM PDT Filed under: Culture, MMO industry, News items, Opinion, The Daily Grind  As you might expect, the wording of the bill is rather vague, so there's plenty of wiggle room for politicians and powerful officials to interpret it as they see fit. Due to the international nature of the internet, the law could conceivably have repercussions beyond Arizona's borders. What say you, Massively crew? Should internet trolls be policed, and should local, state, or federal government representatives do the policing?  Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
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| Michael Hogan and Claudia Black head TERA's voice-acting cast Posted: 09 Apr 2012 08:00 PM PDT Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Video, MMO industry, New titles, News items, TERA  Hogan will lend his talents to the Valkyon Federation's formidable Commander Samael, while Black (best known for her role as Aeryn Sun in Farscape, as well as voice-acting stints in Dragon Age and the Uncharted series) brings her considerable charms to the role of Commander Freya of Allemantheia. If you want to see Hogan in action behind the mic, check out the clip after the break. Finally, En Masse says to keep your eyes and ears peeled for more TERA voice-acting reveals later this month. Continue reading Michael Hogan and Claudia Black head TERA's voice-acting cast
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| Wizard101 prepares to send players to Avalon Posted: 09 Apr 2012 07:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Expansions, Patches, News items, Free-to-play, Kids, Wizard101  But lore alone doesn't make for a fun expansion. Avalon also offers players four new utility spells per school, new pets and mounts, and six new zones to explore as characters head to the new level cap of 80. There are also new gardening levels and new gardening spells, certain to bring a smile to the face of every burgeoning virtual botanist. So if you feel like you've seen all there is to see in Wizard101, don't worry -- that'll change soon enough. [Source: KingsIsle press release]
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| Not So Massively: Meet Diablo III's demon hunter Posted: 09 Apr 2012 06:00 PM PDT Filed under: Betas, Trailers, Video, Game mechanics, Previews, PvP, News items, Free-to-play, Not So Massively, MOBA, League of Legends, Diablo III  Penny Arcade made a guest appearance in League of Legends this week with a special comic introducing upcoming champion Varus. Riot also revealed the next champion due for release, armoured spectral warrior Hecarim. Rise of Immortals got the Penny Arcade treatment this week too when joke character Karapyss the Crabomancer was actually released. Bloodline Champions launched an Easter egg painting contest this week and asked players whether grades should be reset for the current competitive season. Blacklight: Retribution officially launched this week and celebrated with the release of its first new gun, the heavy assault rifle. Finally, Wrath of heroes released its first hero spotlight video this week, introducing hybrid damage-dealer Nethys. Continue reading Not So Massively: Meet Diablo III's demon hunter
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| APB: Reloaded dev blog introduces patch 1.7's new breed of contacts Posted: 09 Apr 2012 05:00 PM PDT Filed under: Patches, News items, Free-to-play, All Points Bulletin, Crime  Criminals and Enforcers alike have plenty to look forward to in APB: Reloaded's upcoming patch 1.7.0, which has been given the name New Breeds Part One. The inspiration for this subtitle comes from the "new breed" of contacts being added to the game with the update, including the sociopathic Criminal Tiptoe (daughter of the Bloodrose Tyron Sennet) and former-military-sniper-turned-Enforcer DevilDog. These new contacts will provide players with a wealth of new progression options such as new weapons, weapon skins, modifications, shiny vehicles, and inventory space increases. On top of all those goodies, New Breed Part One will also introduce Fight Club Challenges, which are weekly events that allow players to compete in a number of unique challenges in order to earn prizes ranging from APB$ to unique weapons and vehicles. Each challenge will require players to play a particular gametype on a particular map, and each "will have three [reward] tiers, with the third and second prizes being straight up requirements, and the top prize requiring you to be in the top X% of players that have taken part in the challenge." The first week's challenges, along with a list of new weapons and modifications, can be found on the game's official blog post for anyone who wants to get a leg-up on the competition, so get out there and wreak some havoc.
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| Woman on dating gameshow plays WoW, host is amazed Posted: 09 Apr 2012 04:00 PM PDT Filed under: World of Warcraft, Video, Culture, Miscellaneous  For those of you unfamiliar with the show's premise (like us), it's basically like this: A bunch of poor chumps go on a series of speed dates with four women who judge their performances at the end of the show, naming one of them the best dater. And we thought The Bachelor was insane. At any rate, the relevant clip can be seen after the cut. Go get 'em, tiger. [Thanks to Roger for the tip!] Continue reading Woman on dating gameshow plays WoW, host is amazed
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| Wings Over Atreia: Clean up on aisle four Posted: 09 Apr 2012 03:00 PM PDT Filed under: Fantasy, Aion, Business models, Economy, Patches, Opinion, Free-to-play, Wings Over Atreia  After much ballyhoo about taking great pains to avoid the dreaded pay-to-win stigma as Aion converts to free-to-play (including screen time in the producers interview), NCsoft went ahead and began offering an eternal-grade weapon in the new BlackCloud Marketplace. Granted, it is for a limited time only, but the fact is that it's been offered at all has sparked a few tizzy-fits within the community. Of all the low-down, double-crossing... I know some players feel lied to and misled. A few profess they've been downright hornswoggled by that single announcement and have turned away from the game. Meanwhile, others are sitting back chortling "What did you expect?" or mouthing a big "I told you so." But was this really an underhanded trick? Did the devs really go back on what they said? You have to wonder why, right in the midst of generating excitement for Aion, the developers would spite the players they are trying to lure in. And maybe they didn't. Was this an innocent bonus or portent of things to come? Before we start stringing someone up in effigy, let's take a look at the details. Might just be all the fuss is much ado about nothing. Continue reading Wings Over Atreia: Clean up on aisle four
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| PAX East 2012: Hands-on with Perfect World's Raiderz Posted: 09 Apr 2012 02:00 PM PDT Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Classes, Events, real-world, Game mechanics, MMO industry, New titles, News items, Free-to-play, Hands-on, Massively Hands-on, Massively Event Coverage  "We really want to blow people away with how much free content they're getting out of a really top-notch game," he said. Join us after the cut to see what Raiderz has to offer. Continue reading PAX East 2012: Hands-on with Perfect World's Raiderz
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| Guild Wars 2 adds Best Buy to CE pre-purchase retailer list, releases new video [Updated] Posted: 09 Apr 2012 01:30 PM PDT Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Trailers, Video, Events, real-world, MMO industry, Guild Wars 2  According to the ArenaNet-authored pre-purchase retailers list on the Guild Wars 2 wiki, Best Buy has joined Gamestop, which makes them the only two brick-and-mortar outlets in the US that are selling physical copies of the standard edition and Collector's Edition. US players also have the option of pre-purchasing a boxed standard edition through Amazon. ArenaNet will open the doors for Guild Wars 2's pre-purchases and pre-orders tomorrow, April 10th, and will post the pre-purchase list on the official website at that time. President Mike O'Brien recently clarified some of the finer points regarding the pre-purchase program. [Thanks to Ravious for the tip!] [Updated: ArenaNet has also released a Collector's Edition video to celebrate the impending pre-purchase date! We've embedded it after the cut.]
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| The Secret World's PAX recap video talks PvP, progression Posted: 09 Apr 2012 01:00 PM PDT Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Horror, Video, Events, real-world, MMO industry, New titles, PvP, News items, The Secret World  The clip is about six minutes long, and it splices together random con-goer interviews with gameplay footage of The Secret World's ability wheel and progression system. Also featured is Funcom community manager Glen "Famine" Swan, who says that he is excited about the game's "persistent PvP, because [it's] doing a lot of grass-roots stuff that [he] grew up with in the MMO genre." Famine also touches on the TSW's three-faction design as well as the fact that the PvP game is ever-changing and filled with progression-related rewards. If you're not so much into the PvP, don't fret, since you can still PvE with your friends regardless of which faction you choose. Check out the full clip after the break. Continue reading The Secret World's PAX recap video talks PvP, progression
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| Weekend warrior: Two days with TERA's beta berserker Posted: 09 Apr 2012 12:30 PM PDT Filed under: Betas, Fantasy, Classes, Events, in-game, Game mechanics, MMO industry, New titles, News items, PvE, Opinion, Hands-on, First Impressions, TERA  The gorgeous Asian aesthetics, the sexed-up avatars, and the hordes of high school tykes runting and squealing in global chat take me back to September of 2009 and the opening gyrations of the themepark orgy that was Aion. Only this time, there are no angel wings, there's but one faction, and the game's called TERA. Continue reading Weekend warrior: Two days with TERA's beta berserker
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| Captain's Log: Interview with Cryptic's Al Rivera, part three Posted: 09 Apr 2012 12:00 PM PDT Filed under: Sci-fi, Business models, Events, real-world, Interviews, Opinion, Star Trek Online, Free-to-play, Massively Interviews, Captain's Log  Today Captain's Log continues with the third and final installment of my interview with Al Rivera, Star Trek Online's Lead Designer at Cryptic Studios! Rivera and I picked up the conversation and talked briefly about the Why I Play STO column that I wrote several weeks ago. I informed him that because of that column, I had received a few emails from brand-new MMO players who expressed frustration over the fact that as new free-to-play players, they weren't immediately allowed into the parts of the game that would give them access to the community, especially fleets, right off the bat. Continue reading Captain's Log: Interview with Cryptic's Al Rivera, part three
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| Leaderboard: Hotbar combat vs. action combat Posted: 09 Apr 2012 11:00 AM PDT Filed under: Polls, Game mechanics, Opinion, Miscellaneous, Leaderboard I've noticed that whenever a studio is developing an MMO that features action combat (i.e., faster-paced combat that's more dependent on positioning, reflexes, and mouse usage), it acts as though it's developing the savior of the genre -- even though action combat is nothing new (just ask Dungeons and Dragons Online or Age of Conan). Instead of seeing it as a revolution that will bring us out of the supposed dark ages, I look at it as a different style of play that some prefer while others shun. Continue reading Leaderboard: Hotbar combat vs. action combat
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